MedCop Climat in Tangier: Veolia is campaigning for an inclusive low carbon economy

In preparation for November’s COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, MedCop Climat - on 18 and 19 July in Tangier - is bringing together state and non-state players in the Mediterranean to focus on the climate. Partnering the event, Veolia is campaigning for "climate governance" in the territories.

Pierre Victoria, Director of Sustainable Development at Veolia, spoke yesterday in Tangier. He referred to the fact that the Group supports territories wishing to reduce their carbon footprint, in particular through its circular economy solutions. Producing new materials by recycling waste emits less greenhouse gas than when producing them from virgin materials. For example, producing plastic bottles from recycled plastic reduces CO2 emissions by 70% compared to making them from virgin plastic.
In 2015, Veolia was able to avoid 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Pierre Victoria also explained that, “today polluting costs nothing; cleaning up is expensive. We need a robust carbon price in order to apply the polluter pays principle which the territorial actors can use for wastewater and waste."

Collaborating for an inclusive low carbon economy

Veolia is developing partnerships between local public, private, academic and associative stakeholders. Multi-stakeholder cooperation within a territory makes it possible for example to make the energy lost by some into energy that can be used by others. It also encourages the emergence of new lower carbon supply chains by decompartmentalizing economic sectors. In addition intra and inter territorial solidarity mitigates the impact of climate change on people and regions, especially the poorest

"Of course we can’t control the climate, but we can decarbonize growth, we can produce and consume differently. If we are all determined and act together, a low-carbon world is possible," concluded Pierre Victoria.